System of runways



Feb. 18, 1930- G. HADDEN ET AL SYSTEM OF RUNWAYS Filed Nov. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1,

Fig.2

4; AT ORNEY 1930- G. HADDEN ETAL SYSTEM OF RUNWAYS Filed Nov. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS @ATTOR Eyf.

Patented Feb. 18, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE GAVIN HADDEN, OF NEW YORK, AND CHARLES A. HOLDEN, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW

SAID HOLDEN ASSIGNOR TO SAID HADDEN YORK;

SYSTEM OF RUNWAYS Application filed November 7, 1928.

This invention relates to a system of runways providing for the landing and taking oil of airplanes in numerous different directions.

- At air ports which have not attained sufiicient importance to justify the expense of providing a suitable landing floor which permits adequate straight runs in all possible directions, it is customary to provide a plurality of artificial runways consisting of narrow layers of suitable material having substantially smooth upper surfaces and extending in numerous different directions. The present invention aims to provide a system of such runways which may be constructed at a minimum cost.

The cost of the construction of a system of runways is a direct function of the combined runway surface provided. In order to decrease the expense thereof, it is desirable to utilize as much as possible of each runway as part of another runway, thereby reducing the area of the layer which must be constructed to provide the whole system of runways.

In accordance with our invention, this result is accomplished by providing a system of runways of equal length extending in directions separated by equal or substantially equal angles and each intersecting all the others, at as niany different points as possible, so that the greatest possible part of each runway may be utilized as parts of the other runways.

The nature of the invention is further explained in connection with the specific embodiments thereof shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment providing for runways extending in directions separated by angles of so as to provide for the landing of airplanes in the four cardinal directions and the fqur directions 45 midway between them;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a modification showing six runways extending in directions separated by angles of 30; and, I

Fig. 4 is a plan view 'of'a modified form Serial No. 317,794.

having nine runways extending in directions separated by angles of 20.

The four consecutively numbered runways shown in Fig. 1 consist of narrow artificial layers or strips having substantially smooth upper surfaces and suitably supported on cuts and fills in the ground or other supports. The runways may be made of concrete or of any suitable material providing a firm, substantially smooth, upper surface.

The four consecutively numbered runways are of equal length and are separated by equal angles. Thus runway 1 may be regarded as extending north and south, runway 2 northeast and southwest, runway 3 east and west, and runway 4 southeast and northwest. It should also be noted that the runways are so inter-related that each runway crosses each one of the other three runways at a different point. It follows that three parts of the strip providing the runway 1, namely, the diamond-shaped portion 1-2, the square portion 1-3, and the diamond-shaped portion the runways 2, 3 and 4 respectively. In the same way, three parts of the runway 2, 1-2,

2-4 and 2-3, are parts of the runways 1, 4 and 3 respectively, and three parts of the runway 3, 2-3, 3-4 and 1-3, are parts of the runways 2, 4 and 1 respectively, and,

nally, three parts of the runway 4, 2-4, 3-4 and 1-4, are parts of the runways 2, 3 and 1 respectively. Thus, in spite of the comparatively small number of runways, the entire system contains six areas, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 2-3, 2-4 and 3-4 which are utilized as parts of two runways. These common portions materially reduce the extent of the artificial layer which must be made to provide the whole system of runways.

In Fig. 3, there are shown six consecutively I 1-4, are also parts of numbered runways of equal length, inwhich each two consecutively numbered runways extend in directions separated by 30. connection, it should be noted that, as the total number of runways is six, runways 6 and 1 areto be regarded as consecutively numbered, and, like any other two of the consecutively numbered runways, extend in directions separated by an angle of 30. It also In this 1 appears from an examination of Fig. 3 that .each .which are respectively parts 0 described have,

runway contains five se the other five runwa s. The economy of construction describe in connection with Fig. 1, therefor, exists in still greater degree in the system shown in Fig. 3, since this system contains fifteen areas which form parts of two different runways. The nine consecutively numbered runways shown in Fig. 4 extend in directions separated b angles of 20 and are of equal length. ach runway contains an area which forms part of each one of the eight other runways. -It results that the entire system contains thirty-three areas'forming part of two runways, and three areas forming part of three runways, so thatavery considera le portion of the narrow strip or layer, which must be constructed to provide any one runway, is also utilized as a part of one or more other runways, making it possible to construct the entire system of runways at a minimum cost. It should be noted that the three systems as a common characteristic, the fact that in each of them every one-of of the runways starts at one corner of an equilateral triangle, which isindicated in dotted lines in Figs. 1,- 3 and 4, and'extends across said triangle and beyond the opposite side thereof, and is equal in length to aside of said triangle.

What we claim is:

1 Asystem of airplane runways, compris ing a plurality of artificial strips of equal length and extending in directions separated by substantially equal angles inwardly from the corners of an equilateral triangle, each strip having a plurality of parts which also form part of one or more of the other strips.

2. A system of airplane runways,comprising a plurality of artificial strips of equal length and extending in directions separated by substantially equal angles inwardly from the corners of an equilateral triangle, whose sides are equal in length to the length of runway.

3. A system of airplane runways, comprising more than two artificial strips extending in directions separated. by substantially equal angles inwardly from the corners ofan equilateral triangle, each strip having a plurality of parts which are individually part of each one of the other strips.

4. A system of airplane runways, comprising more than three artificial strips extending inwardly into a triangular area from the corners thereof, the center line of each strip intersecting the center lines of each of the other strips, and each strip having between its ends a plurality of separate parts each of which forms a part of only one other strip.

5. -An airplane landing field comprising a plurality of strips radiating from the corners of a polylateral figure and in intersecting relation,

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set each of; saidstrips forming substanh arate areas, tially equal angles with the strips adjacent each one of thereto. 

